Our privacy rights diminishing before our eyes…

The 2013 leak of National Security Administration data by 29 year old Edward Snowden sparked a revolutionary debate to end mass surveillance by the US government. The documents leaked to certain media outlets revealed bulk collection of data gathered by the NSA from Americans without warranted consent.

Personal information of the innocent masses is gathered by the NSA through phone calls, emails, chat logs and documents collected from the internet or organizations. Corporate partnerships with companies like Google, Microsoft, and Verizon allow the government to receive private information without probable cause.

Fortunately, The Shasta College Library has a student confidentiality policy. There is no screening or filtering when it comes to using the student computers and student work is confidential. The library also offers a student drive accessible to all students in which students can save their work.

Without the awareness of the general public, mass surveillance reform cannot emerge. Our privacy rights are vital and must be protected. Our Fourth Amendment was created to protect from unreasonable search and seizure, yet the NSA is disregarding important laws and slowly diminishing our privacy.

It is important that we as a people don’t remain silent while our rights are pulled from under us. By exposing the government of wrongdoings, Edward Snowden and others have relinquished their own freedom so that we could have ours. Staying informed and continuing to vote knowledgably is critical. Many Americans have already notified congress of their concerns. If you wish to voice your opinion as well you can talk to congress or your representative. For help finding your local representative visit the site: http://www.house.gov/contact/.